Vince Carter has high praise for Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes

Mar 7 2022, 9:58 pm

Count Vince Carter as a member of the fan club for Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes.

“I like what he brings to the table,” Carter said while joining ex-teammate Alvin Williams on Sunday night’s Sportsnet broadcast of Raptors’ matchup against Cleveland. “He’s cool, calm, collected, loves to play the game.”

If anyone could relate to Barnes’ situation with the team, it’s Carter.

Acquired via a draft-day trade with Golden State for Antawn Jamsison, Carter became Toronto’s first true superstar in his six seasons with the team. He was taken fifth overall in the 1998 draft, one spot behind Barnes’ fourth overall selection last year.

“Here’s a young guy that seems like he’s mature beyond his years,” Carter said about Barnes. “So, that’s a great thing. And he’s being implemented into the system playing a lot of minutes, so you have a star in the making already.”

While playing for the Raptors, Carter averaged 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 50 games in his first season in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 year, and won the Rookie of the Year award.

In comparison, Barnes has averaged 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 56 games this season, while being among the top candidates for the award. NBA.com currently has him as second on its rookie ladder, behind Cleveland’s Evan Mobley.

“It seems like he has a lot of ability, and he’s very versatile,” Carter added. “So, you can throw him in any position, he can guard any position, and he can play any position.”

Carter played 22 seasons in the NBA in all with eight different teams, retiring after the 2019-20 campaign with Atlanta.

Despite his notoriously tough exit from Toronto, it’s nice to see that the two sides have reconciled over the years, with the team shouting out Carter on Twitter at yesterday’s game.

Adam LaskarisAdam Laskaris

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